Swim masters triumph

Veteran coach Jan Croft instructs a masters' swim squad.

Noosa Masters swimmers are enjoying a remarkably busy beginning to 2023.

The masters state championships in Mackay are only five weeks away, followed a fortnight later by the national championships in Hobart.

The five weeks of serious training are punctuated by three club meets – at the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Hervey Bay – where swimmers will get a sense of their race readiness.

Busiest of all is Jo Matthews, the club’s butterfly queen.

Jo has just returned from a dash across the Tasman which netted her seven gold medals at the New Zealand Masters Games in Whanganui .

The new year brought news that’s both welcome and somewhat predictable.

For the ninth year in succession, the club has won the prestigious Vorgee E1000 National Champion Club trophy. Noosa’s 61 swimmers amassed 18,210 points, almost 5000 clear of the closest rival. Those thousands of points represent hundreds of endurance swims, ranging from 400 metres to over 3000 metres, recorded during the year by a team of diligent timekeepers.

While a handful of swimmers achieve top points, the E1000 competition is set up to allow swimmers at all ability levels to score points. Noosa Masters’ national success rests on enthusiastic participation across its membership.

That enthusiasm extends to its many social activities, reflecting the masters’ motto of fitness, friendship and fun.

For anyone interested in sampling that experience, the club is hosting a come and try day on Sunday 26 February at the Noosa Aquatic Centre, from 7.30-9am. This free event will offer you an easy introduction to squad training, followed by coffee and cake with club members at the NAC café. If interested, simply email, noosamastersswimming@outlook.com